House passes $12 counteroffer on minimum wage increase

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State House lawmakers are insisting on an eventual $12-an-hour statewide minimum wage and further increases tied to inflation.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved amendments to a Senate-approved bill that would raise the state’s $7.50-an-hour minimum wage for the first time in a decade.

The two chambers of the Legislature are haggling over an appropriate increase and have until noon Saturday to reach a compromise.

The Senate sidelined the original House-sponsored proposal and approved an $11 minimum wage.

Under the latest House offer, the minimum wage would rise to $10 an hour next year and hit $12 on Jan. 1, 2022. Tipped-wage workers would earn a third of the minimum. The bill includes an $8.50-an-hour student wage.